


Helena

by prettyface_lonelyheart



Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 05:04:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13357092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettyface_lonelyheart/pseuds/prettyface_lonelyheart
Summary: Carwood Lipton and Cassidy Mason find a child in the midst of war.





	Helena

**Author's Note:**

  * For [carwood](https://archiveofourown.org/users/carwood/gifts).



> It doesn't have as much detail as I'd normally want, but I'm glad I even got it done since I haven't posted in a while!
> 
> This is for lieutenantcarwoodlipton on Tumblr, aka Simitrash

“Psst, Lip. I think we should check that house,” Cassidy whispered, referring to a wooden shack that was partially built into a dirt hill in the woods they were in.

“Cass—“

“Please, Lip. I have a feeling about this,” she put her hand on his bicep to stop him from moving.

Carwood Lipton gave in, his trust in her overpowering.

“Second platoon,” he signaled for them to stop, earning confused looks from the men.

He crouched closer to Bill Guarnere, ordering him to tell the others to stay and cover him and Cassidy.

With a tilt of his head, Lip motioned for her to follow behind him.

They approached the door and heard a muffled cry.

“Sounds like someone’s in trouble,” Cassidy gasped and reached for the doorknob.

Lip, gently but urgently, put his hand over hers.

“It could be a trap,” he warned.

They fell silent for three seconds when the crying continued.

“We have some cover,” she lowered her rifle to glance at Lipton’s widened, alert eyes.

Lip sighed and nodded.

“Okay, but stay vigilant,” he urged before opening the door and swinging it inward.

Cassidy held her gun up again and slowly stepped inside, with Lip right behind her this time.

Though there was little light inside, she squinted and was able to make out a small form in a makeshift crib.

"Oh my God!" Cassidy gasped and tiptoed towards the back wall where she'd seen the silhouette.

"Cassidy, no!" Lipton hissed.

But she was already down on her knees, her rifle slung to her back and her hands peeling back the wool blanket.

A baby girl looked up at the curly-haired brunette looming over her before crying again.

"Hey, shhhh... it's okay," Cassidy picked her up and began rocking the child in her arms.

Lip started to call her name again, but stopped after the first syllable and fell silent.

The baby's sobbing quieted down when Cassidy hummed a lullaby to her. Though her cheeks were still streaked with old tears, her eyes widened, revealing two big brown orbs that softened with each note that came from the soldier.

Awestruck, Lip squatted behind the nurturer, watching the woman's hand, which, despite being caked in dirt, gently caressed the girl's thin, dark blonde hair.

Once Cassidy finished her hymn, she kissed the little Italian nose, making the baby coo.

"Awww," Lip finally said.

"Isn't she adorable?" Cassidy blinked back tears of her own.

Whose baby was this? Why was she left here? What kind of family would just leave a defenseless, little one all alone in the middle of these desolate woods? Were they forced to or did they chose to?

"S-She definitely is," a soft smile melted across Lip's face.

The baby put her small hand on Cassidy's flashlight that hung by her collar. When she flipped the light switch on, a bright beam shone to the ceiling of the roof made of twigs and mud.

"Ooo," the baby cooed.

Cassidy and Lip shared an "awww" before Lip turned serious again.

"Come on, we have to move," he got back on his feet and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"But we can't just leave her here," she held the baby closer to her and shot Lip a doubtful look.

"I know," he frowned. "But what will Captain—"

"Jemand ist da drin!" they heard someone call from outside.

"Shit! Krauts!" they cursed under their breath and hid behind a pile of clothes and kitchenware.

Shots were fired from a few Karabiners.

"Töte sie!" a Kraut ordered.

Cassidy undid her jacket and hid the baby inside, leaving it partially open for her to breathe.

Several bullets from their side pierced the enemies, allowing Cassidy and Lipton to slip out of the hut and rejoin the company.

-

Lip drove the Jeep through a gravel terrain with Cassidy sitting in the passenger seat.

He heard a sniffle from his side and glanced at her through his peripheral vision, where she cradled the baby close to her, her hand over the thin patch of hair on the little head.

"I know it's hard, Cass," he sighed and put his hand closest to her on her knee, while he continued driving with the other hand on the wheel. "But we have a war to fight."

The baby looked down curiously at LIp's hand and then back at Cassidy, her little fingers clutching at the collar of the woman's uniform.

"It is... and we do," she touched her forehead gently over the baby's before turning her attention to its new home: a small cottage they were nearing on the road.

She couldn't bare to think that this was the very last time she will have to hold the baby.

Lip parked in the driveway and killed the engine. He took his seatbelt off and turned to the two.

He rubbed Cassidy's back while she cried into the baby's blanket.

In response, the baby, with the pink pacifier moving slightly in her mouth, reached a hand out to the crying woman's cheek, stopping the teardrop from falling.

After she'd calmed down a bit, Lip smiled softly. "Can I hold her too?"

She nodded and let him take the child off her hands.

Once the baby was face-to-face with the First Sergeant, her big brown eyes bore into him.

"Hey, cutie pie," Lip wrapped an arm around her, allowing her to stand and wiggle around in his grasp.

He held her hand up with his right thumb and index finger, his other hand resting on the middle of her back and pretended to dance with her while humming.

This made the baby giggle.

The sight warmed Cassidy's heart. She'd fallen in love with Carwood Lipton the more she spent time with him during training. She was surprised to find the feeling was mutual and, though being aware of the consequences of such a relationship forming under the circumstances, they began a romance.

He confided in her that, when his father died, his mother expected him to be the family man, taking care of her and his sisters.

She couldn't help but think that, someday, he would make a wonderful father.

Snapping back to reality, her heart broke all over again, remembering what they had to do.

They got out of the car and knocked on the door of the cottage where a middle-aged lady greeted them warmly.

After a brief chat about the orphanage, Cassidy and Lip were shown an empty crib in a line of others that had a similar setup: a frame with a small mattress, covered in a fitted sheet and blanket. Each bedsheet had a different pattern and a corresponding baby blanket.

The unoccupied crib had a sheet sprinkled with little pink tulips with a blush-colored blanket neatly covering half the mattress.

Lip, who'd brought the baby inside with them, smiled sadly at her in his arms and kissed her head. "Goodbye, sweet pea. I'll be seeing you again, I hope."

He held her out to Cassidy, who cradled the infant, nearing tears again.

"We'll be back, sweetie," her voice broke.

"Ah?" the baby looked confusedly at Cassidy, tipping her head to the side.

Cassidy giggled and kissed the little Italian nose.

"I'll be back for you, Helena."

-

"I can't believe this, Lip!" Cassidy exclaimed. "We're actually going home!"

He picked her up and spun her around as the other men hugged each other and spoke about what they'll do when they get back to the States.

With his arms around her waist, he gazed into her eyes and cried tears of joy. "I can't wait to start our new life together. You, me, and..."

They shot each other surprised looks.

"Helena!" they whispered in unison.

Cassidy was the first to have the widest smile on her face. She clutched his arms and jumped excitedly.

"Oh my God! We have to go back for her!" she gasped and looked around, as if searching for a mode of transportation to take to the orphanage.

Then it dawned on her.

"B-But what if something happened?" her mood dropped.

Before her mind could rack up every 'what-if' scenario in the book, Lip cupped her cheeks and grinned comfortingly. "The only thing that's happened is that she hasn't seen us in years. But it's time to change that."

He took her hand and they ran to Major Winters, who was already holding the key up to a Jeep, beaming at the couple.

To their relief, when they'd taken the same route to the cottage, it was still standing. The lights were on in the kitchen and it appeared as though the woman's family, who helped run the orphanage, were busy cooking something up.

They knocked on the door and were shocked to find the same older woman standing before them. Not only that, she was holding a slightly bigger version of the child they had dropped off years ago.

"I heard the news. I know she'll be lucky to have you two taking care of her now."

Cassidy burst into tears and swiped the child from the woman, who didn't mind, but instead, laughed and invited her and Lip inside.

The woman spoke with Lipton over some hot tea. Though Cassidy was seated with them, she was in her own world with the baby, who was now able to stand on her own.

"Hello, little one. I missed you oh-so-much!" she kissed Helena's hand.

She cooed happily and pressed her lips onto Cassidy's cheek.

"Ahh! Lip! Did you see that?" Cass's jaw dropped and she covered her mouth.

He glanced at her curiously. "What happened?"

"She kissed me!" she laughed and planted a big kiss on Helena's forehead with a 'mwah!'

"Aww! Can I get one?" he put his teacup down on the saucer and leaned down to the baby's level.

Helena grabbed Lip's nose, making everyone in the room laugh.

Seeing his cup empty, the woman asked if Lip would like more tea. He declined, informing her that they needed to report back to their officers in preparation for their leave.

She bid them farewell and the two thanked her profusely for taking care of their now-adopted daughter.

-

"Huh, looks like everyone went out already," Cassidy took note of the deserted base.

"At least we get some alone time with Helena," Lip parked the car and patted the girl's head.

In response, she drooled and put her hands up to try to catch his.

He stepped out and took a paper bag from the backseat. The woman provided them with extra diapers, food, and milk for Helena. He then opened Cassidy's door for her while she held Helena.

When they'd entered the villa-turned-HQ and turned the lights on, the entirety of Easy Company jumped out from behind the furniture. "SURPRISE!"

The pair stood there in shock and looked at all the party decorations.

"Oh my God!" Cassidy put her hand on her chest, flattered at the effort of their friends, but at the same time, surprised they even knew their secret at all.

"Where? How?" she blushed and smiled at the white streamers and balloons at each corner of the room.

"Well, we may have told Sink we wanted to throw a 'V-E Day' party," Harry smiled his gap-toothed smile.

"We knew it was a girl, but this is what we could get," Skinny tipped his beer bottle before taking a swig from it.

"We love it," Lip put his arm around Cassidy's shoulders and smiled at each man.

Almost immediately, a few of them gathered around the two to see the baby.

"You're going to love being a father," Alton More pat Lip on the back with pride. "No sleep for a while, but it's all worth it. Hell, I get to see Gigi again now that this mess is over with!"

"Nothing like being with that special girl, huh?" Lip turned to Cassidy and looked at her like she was the best thing in his world.

In truth, she was. So was Helena.

Cassidy stood on her toes and pecked him on his mouth.

Like a bunch of schoolboys, the men sent "ohhh"s through the air.

From the her arms, Helena stirred and opened her eyes. No one had even noticed she was taking a nap.

Her eyes adjusted to the light and she cried when she saw her surroundings.

Some gasped and backed away as to not further overwhelm her.

"Come on, fellas. Make some room," George Luz sweeped his hands to move the remaining men away. "My goddaughter needs to breathe here."

"Luz, you know you can't just call yourself that," Frank Perconte teasingly reminded him.

"Would you like to hold your goddaughter, Luz?" Cassidy held Helena out to him once she'd calmed.

She knew Lip wouldn't mind, as Luz was one of his closest friends in the company.

Luz stuck his tongue out at Perco before smiling excitedly at the new mother figure.

He sat on a nearby ottoman and hoisted the baby onto his lap.

"Aww, who's this, you say? It's good ol' Uncle George," he tickled her side and made a goofy face at her.

"Hehe," Helena pointed at Luz's face and looked at Lip with sparkly eyes.

The men awed, melting Cassidy's heart. She loved the sight of these strong, battle-hardened GIs going mushy at the mere presence of a cute baby.

After many hours of drinking, relaxing, and eating, the men went to their quarters to rest up and get their belongings together for the ship that would take them home the next morning.

Once the room cleared, the officers, including Lip, were cleaning up the empty bottles and napkins that held hors d'oeuvres.

Ronald Speirs sat next to Cassidy and held out a crudely wrapped object. "A small gift... for her."

"Oh, sir," she looked at him puzzled at first. "You shouldn't have."

Few of the men who managed to get some presents gave them to the couple towards the end of the party. It seemed strange for a second that Speirs chose to wait until now to give his, but then she remembered his reputation.

With Helena half-asleep in her baby carrier, Cassidy tore the paper apart and pulled a small, silver rattle from the bundle of wrapping and twine.

It was when the light hit the shiny surface of the dome that she thought to herself: "Classic Speirs."

She gave the toy to Helena, who looked curiously at it before taking the handle with her fingers and giving it a shake. Now she shook it some more and let out an amused "heh".

Cassidy turned her attention back to the CO. "Thank you, sir."

He smiled at her, then at Lip from across the room, giving him a nod.

When Speirs left the room, Lip finished taking the trash out and sat beside Helena, watching her falling asleep.

"You're going to love West Virginia," he said softly to her.

Then he took Cassidy's hand and placed his other hand over it. "I can't wait."


End file.
